Western cyclone., 1887-01-27
Robbery AND BILE.

Inc W tcli JOu AUOub H. III you nave
time to listen. for they've all forgotten
Robbery down here, except me; they're
poor folks, you see, and things drift out
of folks heads when poverty drifts in.
Robbery? Yes, sir, that was his name
-leastways tho name we gave him
down here. AS to a father or mother,
we never had any, think; never had
any one in the wide world to belong to
except our two selves-Bobbery and me-
was the eldest-two long years older
than him; but then | was blind, YOU
see, SO the two years didn't count for
much, and Robbery got ahead of me
after the time when the long days of
pain slipped into lone night, and God
shut me out of the world-not that |
grumble, sir; I've given over that-and
Robbery was always such good lad 10
me that perhaps didn't miss SO much
after all.
l grew to fancy things and make be-
lieve | saw a great deal, particularly
after Robbery took to working at his
trade shoe-black. sir; and sometimes,
when | became accustomed to being
always in the dark, went out with
Robbery and held the money that he
made.
We'll, not much, perhaps, but enough
for us two. and the little room we had
down at Kingston, over against the
river; only Robbery was an extravaganza
lad-nOt in drink, sir; we were always
sober lot-buG in oranges.
They were almost his ruin, sir-those
oranges He used to come upstairs
sucking them softly, so that might not
hear, and thinking to deceive me; but
| somehow smclt oranges, and it always
made me sharper to catch Robbery
whisting little tunes TO himself on the
way up, just to put me off
he made . great deal Of me, did Bob
berry along of being blind. YOU sec =
and so did the noighbors; but | was
raro proud Of him. You don't know
whatit is, sir, 10 sit alone in the dark
MI day. and then, on sudden, to hear
q fellow call out Here we are again!
Como down and feel the sun set and
We'll count the coppers." 1t would
make you love any one, sir. who had Il
voice like that, let alone follow like
Robbery.
Perhaps you didn't happen to be in
Kingston. sir. last spring. when the
Hoods had risen and the land was un-
der water for miles around. Robbery
had 10 wade Il little going down to his
work. but hc rather liked it he said;
and no used 10 tuck up his trousers and
call back 10 me and laugh us the water
orept around his feet; and he said folks
woulGn'i want their boots BACKED, he
feared, for tho water would soon take
off tie polish,
used 10 sit on the window-sill TO
feel the sun. and if listened very hard
could hear tho ripple-ripple of tho
shallow water at every step that Bob
berry made. and it had pleasant sound,
and made kind Of company feeling;
but when he WAS out of hearing and il
still kept ripping up against our walls
the company feeling went away and
left me lonely. and sometimes | thought
the water hateful. because it lay for SO
very long between me and Robbery.
Well. once was sitting alone on tho
window-sill and the day was very quiet,
SO quiet that | did not hear the liltle
ripping waves; and in the quiet grew
frightened at last, and stretched out my
hands across the sill 10 feel nv way
down. felt something that madc me
shiver and draw back out of the sun
light-that made my whole dark life
grow suddenly 4 beautiful and precious
thing felt tho water ripping almost
up to the level Of the sill, and | was
quite alone, and Robbery would mover
know.
did not call out or go mad with
fright, rs thought ut first | might do;
only l crept away in my everlasting
darkness from the warm sunlight and
sat down on the bed where Robbery and
slept together. and put my hands over
my ears 10 shut out the roar of the wa
tiers.
How long sat there Idon'tknow. but
think il must have been for hours, for
lfelt the sunlight on my face and the
waters rushing around me before l
moved again. was hungry. too. but
when tried to get down and reach the
cupboard the water took ME of my feet
and crept back TO tho bed and on TO
the shelves of tho dresser to he out of
the way. said my prayers two or
three times, and said some PRAYERS for
Robbery, TOO. for knew he would be
sorry when he found me some day where
had died all alone, and in the dark.
And then l tried to think how things
looked from our windows, with the wa
ter sweeping up to the very sill. and the
red sunset lying on it-and beyond
the pretty town and tho steeple in the
clock; and thought it was better for
me to die than Robbery. after all. for
he could see, while IL had no pleas
ures In my life. And yet wanted to
llvei l wanted to hear Bobbery's voice
again; l wanted tho waters 70 60 down
and somebody to remember me at last
for was afraid.
Well. sir. God answers our prayers
sometimes in way that is terribly just.
4 takes Us > long time TO find out thai
everything Is very good. think, bul
We come TO learn it aE lnst-and learn.
100. - leave our prayers q we'll 6 The
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